Weekend in Photos

Long Fu Girls in Numbers

The girls from Doodle's orphanage all have the last name of Long (the orphanage is Longyan) and a first name that begins with Fu. As we spent a hot, sticky weekend with 4 of the 9 Long Fu girls from our travel group--3 of whom are 10 and 1 who is 11--I noted some similarities and some differences:

• Girls with pierced ears: 3, all within the last year (Doodle is the odd girl out here but she doesn't seem interested)
• Girls who play instruments: 3, perhaps next time we can have a classical guitar, flute, and clarinet concert
• Long hair: 4 (when you have such gorgeous hair, why not let it grow long)
• Sports: 3 who play soccer and 1 who plays softball and does karate
• Oldest child in family: 3
• Only child: 1
• Budding photographers: 4
• Took Chinese language class at a younger age but no longer participate or show much interest in their heritage: 4

The girls got along very well but they no longer hold each other's hands as they walk around. Saturday's activities included a long visit to the zoo, a movie (Wall-E), and dinner and play time at our house (we canceled the sleepover part of the plan due to Friday's health drama). On Sunday we hit the National Archives, Air & Space Museum, and the Natural History Museum. A fun but exhausting weekend.

We parents spent some time talking about the girls' lack of interest in their heritage. It's something we worry about a bit, but thus far the girls all seem comfortable with who they are. I will probably use this summer's Olympics to rekindle Doodle's interest in China; it has dwindled substantially since an all time high three years ago when we went to China to bring her sister home. One of the families is going to China next spring but they have decided not to visit either of their daughters' birthplaces, focusing instead on Beijing, Shanghai, etc. I hope to take the girls back in the next two years and I would like to visit both of their birthplaces. Tootle's orphanage is much more open and easier to get to, but I also want to make the effort for Doodle. In the meantime, at least we are keeping these links to families who share in Doodle's story. I feel fortunate that we like these families so much.

Scariest Day Ever

Friday morning did not start out well. Tootle woke up at 5 a.m. with a fever and a desire to vomit. This should have been my sign that this day was doomed. Once Doodle woke up around 8, she discovered that she had drooled some blood from her tooth extraction onto her sheets. She quickly came downstairs and reported that she was hungry and had a headache. Figuring that she could be a bit dehydrated because she hadn't eaten or drank much the night before, I got her some Gatorade as she hoisted herself onto the kitchen counter (something that I always discourage but that she sometimes does anyway). I started to make her breakfast but quickly turned around when I saw her pouring her Gatorade onto the kitchen floor. I started to yell at her that this was not funny when she suddenly fell forward. I caught her and tried to get her to stand. She was totally limp and her eyes rolled back in her head. I have never been so frightened in my life. I screamed for my mom to call 911 and carried Doodle into the living room as I tried to get her to respond. As I started to talk to the 911 operator, Doodle came to and started to cry because she was disoriented. The paramedics came within 5-7 minutes and found that her vital signs were good but advised me to either have her ride in the ambulance to the emergency room or be driven there by me. I drove her, and was impressed with how quickly the emergency room staff got us into a pediatric room and being cared for. The ultimate diagnosis, after having her blood pressure and pulse checked about 5 times, an EKG, and some juice and cookies, was dehydration, and Doodle and I were home by 10:30.

Later in the afternoon I took Tootle to the doctor, and she was diagnosed with an ear infection. I hope that they both are able to hang out with our travel group visitors today. We missed out on Friday's fun, but I don't think anyone would have wanted to risk the possibility of Doodle fainting at the White House in 95 degree heat, and Tootle was so lethargic that she barely moved from the sofa. She did perk up in the evening after her first dose of antibiotics, and Doodle guzzled fluids and seems fine, so things are looking up. I hope Doodle never faints again; it's way too scary.

Sniff

The ringlets, baby fat, and baby talk are long, long gone, but today Doodle lost the last physical reminder of her babyhood: her 20th baby tooth. (Doodle may be a petite 10 year old, but she has the mouth of a 12-year-old, according to the dental authorities.) This pesky molar has stalled Doodle's orthodontia plan for several months, and while it was wiggly, it wasn't quite ready to come out yet. However, the adult tooth wanted to make its appearance and put pressure on the gums, leading to an abscess. After waiting about a week for the antibiotics to do their job, today the dentist pulled baby tooth #20, to keep the abscess from coming back. Doodle was very brave even though the tooth didn't stop bleeding for some time. In a few minutes, I will put a note from the Tooth Fairy and an extra special amount of money under her pillow.

Reunion

Two of the families that we keep in touch with from our 1998 travel group arrive today for a nearly 10-year reunion with our family and another family that lives in our area. I can't wait to see the girls interact as tweens. Tootle is nervous that no one will play with her because she is two years younger than any of the seven kids who are coming, but I expect that she'll manage to fit right in. We're hosting a picnic for the families and a sleepover for the girls, and I've been sprucing up the yard and house for weeks. The frenzied cleaning has also brought out my desire to purge a lot of the junk from our house, and that effort will be continuing. Wish me luck with the sleepover. My only hope is that the girls may fall asleep easily after a full day in the 95 degree heat.

Consumer Power

Doodle recently earned her Consumer Power Junior Girl Scouts badge. Doodle is an awesome shopper, and in some ways it seems like she has been working on this badge since she was two years old. When we would go in to a store like Gymboree, Doodle would go through the clothes rack to find her size*, look at the tag, and then declare, "We can't buy this mommy. It's not on sale." or "Can I have this? It's on sale." (She was able to recognize if something was marked down, and knew that I love a bargain.) The clerk's mouth would drop open in surprise to see my little shopper in action.

Last month Doodle displayed her shopping skills online as she looked for an electric guitar that she wanted to buy with her own money. I didn't want the guitar to arrive before school ended, fearing that it would distract her from working on her last book report, etc., so I had her do a short report on the pros and cons of the guitar she coveted. The guitar arrived last week, the first week that school was out. Learning to play the guitar and composing music didn't take up all of her time last week so she also spent time on e-Bay, looking for a baseball autographed by her favorite player. She conned me into winning it for her, again paying for it herself. Her piggy bank is much emptier now so thankfully she is in day camp for the next three weeks.

* Doodle knew her numbers by the time she was 18 months old; sadly her early promise in math faded once she hit elementary school.

Strawberry Fields

A perfect day to leave work early and go to the strawberry patch. So sweet and yummy.